Ashley Ketchem II: Viridian Skys
by Tsurishi Arashi
Summary: Ashley starts out on her journey after getting her Eevee Sprite. She travels with Gary and learns about being a trainer from him.
1. Start of a Journey

_I don't own Pokemon. This is the sequel to Ashley Ketchem._

**Ashley Ketchem II: Viridian Skys ****_Start of a Journey_**

Ashley stepped out of the Pokemon lab with her Eevee named Sprite clutched into her arms. A smile was on her face as she closed her eyes to take in the sounds of birds chirping as well as the soft breeze that blew across her face. Taking a deep breath she felt like life was going to change for the better for her.

It wasn't that long ago that she was helping her grandmother take care of the shrine that was starting to become run down. It wasn't that long ago that she happened to not know anyone but her grandmother, but because her grandmother had gotten sick she had found herself meeting the Oak family. She had also had the chance to speak with her mother over the phone.

She now had her Pokedex, though the use of said object was not something she understood. She also had Pokeballs and she and Gary were heading out to Viridian as their first stop on their journey. She was dressed not in her miko clothing but instead in clothing that Daisy had helped her buy with money that her mother had provided.

Gary bumped into her from behind and she found herself startling. Blinking a couple of times she found herself turning her head to watch him walk forward and then wave for her to follow. The two stopped outside of the gate just in time to see someone come running up. Frowning, Gary shook his head at the boy. "You're late Ash."

"What..." The boy blinked a couple of times.

Ashley looked around. "Wait... how come there are a lot of people gathered here?"

"It has always been the tradition to see the new trainers off." One of the ladies smiled at her.

"It is nice to meet you."

Gary flinched as she said this before turning his head to look at Ash. "Seriously... you're late. I was expecting you to come earlier. You really did forget our promise, didn't you?"

"What promise?"

The boy with brown hair let out a sigh before walking away. "If you can't remember, you can't remember."

The girl quickly bowed to the boy and the others before taking off after Gary. She heard one of the older ladies speak up. "What a sweet child. Whose is she those."

"I'm not quite sure."

"I heard she's our shrine maiden."

"Our shrine... that old run down thing."

"I guess perhaps we've been forgetting and neglecting that place. Perhaps we should think about fixing it up."

Ashley then couldn't hear the towns people anymore. She followed after Gary. "What promise did Ash break to you?"

"Your brother?"

"My brother..." Ashley stopped short. "Mother did mention the fact I have a brother, but I hadn't thought much about it."

"Ash told me he would travel with me but he can't even remember that part. We were supposed to meet up at the lab at the exact time you showed up and pick out our Pokemon. Since Ash wanted Bulbasaur I was going to leave it for him but in the long run he has turned into an absolute brat who can't remember things like that."

"So... you're sad that the two of you aren't going to travel with each other."

"Well... yes. I was thinking as I told you of traveling with my sister's friends and my sister Daisy due to the fact I had a cold but I told her last night I would rather travel with you, particularly since there is a lot you don't know and it would be good to give you a helping hand as you need it. Plus... traveling with her friends isn't the same as traveling with my own."

"You think of me as a friend."

Gary stopped short. "No... we haven't had a chance to become friends. I guess that's the other reason why I decided to go with you. We'll have the chance to get to know each other and become friends."

"So you're rather excited about this whole thing?" Ashley's hands went behind her back. "I know I'm excited."

"As we head to Veridian we should try and catch some Pokemon."

"Explain that concept to me."

"Well... you can't just have the one Pokemon. You need to catch others. That is what the Pokeballs are for. However, you can't just toss the Pokeball at them. You have to wear down the Pokemon using attacks."

"But doesn't that hurt them? I mean... the word attack means to bring harm."

"There are moves that put Pokemon asleep and there are moves that cause other status effects that can help catch without actually harming a Pokemon. Unfortunately we do not have that option? Anymore questions?"

"I nicknamed Sprite. Did you give a nickname to yours?"

Gary paused. "No... I would like to get to know him a bit before I actually name him. I want the name to fit."

"When I got Sprite I knew what to name her as soon as I saw her."

They arrived at the edge of town. A sign happened to say that the route would take them from Pallet Town to Viridian City. At the side of the road were various trees. Nothing could be seen and they started walking down the road. Silence followed them and when they couldn't see any of the houses when Gary stopped. "We should start looking for Pokemon to add to our collection."

"What kind of Pokemon would we find here? Will they be cute like Sprite?"

Gary frowned. "I'm more interested in cool Pokemon, but I guess there isn't much difference beyond the fact boys and girls would have different ways of describing them."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... I wouldn't want cute Pokemon. I mean... I do want to end up catching every one I can and while Pokemon like Clefairy are cute I would actually use them as they're really good Pokemon. I guess my point here is that there is more to Pokemon then simply their looks.

A voice popped into the back of her head telling her that her friend was near by. "_He's right you know. If we went by looks people wouldn't think that I was a power house but I actually am._"

"_I honestly don't follow you, but then I don't care whether a Pokemon is a Power House or not. I care about the bonds I make with them. That's what I'm excited about and Sprite... it's going to be fun playing with her._"

It was then that she paused, hearing a rustling sound. Turning to Gary she whispered to him. "I hear something. No... I sense something."


	2. First Pokemon

**Ashley Ketchem II: Viridian Skys **_**First Pokemon**_

Ashley paused upon hearing a rustling sound. Realization came to her that something was there and she turned to Gary. "I hear something. No... I sense something."

"It is likely a Pokemon." The boy frowned. "Would you like to catch this Pokemon first and have me explain things as you go, or would you like me to catch it first to show you?"

"I would like to try and catch the Pokemon first on my own." Ashley looked towards her companion. "What should I do first?"

"You need to get Sprite out so she can battle the Pokemon that is going to appear." Gary flipped open his Pokedex.

The dark haired female pressed the button and Sprite popped out of her ball. It was then that the hidden Pokemon came out of the grass. The creature was mouse like and had purple fur. Ashley blinked a couple of times. "What is it?"

"Use your Pokedex to find out."

Ashley reached into her pocket and pulled out the item in question. "Oh... it is a Rattata."

"Give Sprite an order."

"All right." Ashley pointed at the Rattata. "Sprite... um..."

"Tackle..."

"Tackle the Rattata." The small Eevee bounced forward and tackled into the Rattata in question. The Rattata in question tackled back. "This seems kind of mean."

"One more time and then throw a Pokeball at it."

The situation repeated again and Ashley threw a Pokeball at the Rattata. The ball rocked back and forth and then stopped moving. Gary spoke then. "Congradulations. You caught your first Pokemon."

Ashley sat down and poked the ball. "Now what?"

"You can see how the Pokemon is doing by pushing the button."

The girl did as he said and the Rattata popped out. It at first looked at her nervously and when she held out her hand the Pokemon came over to her and sniffed her hand. She reached out and carefully scratched it's ears. "I think I'll call you Mouse." There came a pause them. "You're very cute you know."

Ashley then looked up. "There is another Pokemon over there. I think it is your turn."

Gary pushed the button on his Pokeball and out popped the yet unnamed Squirtle. "Squirtle... I need you to tackle that Pokemon."

The Squirtle hurried forward and tackled the Pokemon and the Pokemon tackled back. It went back and forth and then Gary tossed the Pokeball. Ashley frowned. "What is that Pokemon?"

"Good question. I actually didn't get to see it." Gary walked forward and picked up the ball and out popped another Rattata. "I see I have a Rattata as well."

"You should name it. Since we both have Rattata it may end up be confusing for them."

"But you've already nicknamed yours Mouse."

"Yes... but... you really should nickname your Pokemon."

"Fine..." Gary stopped to think for a bit. "Since it is the first purple colored Pokemon I've caught I'll go and call her Violet. I don't want to go with a color theme. Since my Squirtle is also female then I'll name her Anemone."

"What are you going to do if you get a male Pokemon?"

"What are you going to do if you get another mouse Pokemon?"

There came silence when Ashley pointed her finger in a particular direction. "There! Another one! Sprite... tackle it!"

"Now hold on..." Gary let out a deep sigh. "Your quite fine with this now that you know it doesn't do them much harm it seems."

Ashley ended up throwing another Pokeball and out popped a bird Pokemon that her Pokedex identified as a Pidgey. "I'll name it Feather."

"Your Pokemon is male you know." The boy let out a sigh before kneeling down. "You know... this is actually probably a lot more interesting though then what I would have gotten with Ash."

"There is another one there!" Ashley pointed her finger at the rustle. "And it is another Pidgey."

"How can you tell?"

"Because it feels like the Pidgey where as the Rattata felt like Rattata."

"Well... we'll just have to see how that works out." Gary shook his head and had his Squirtle go after the Pokemon in the grass. When he caught the Pokemon he found that it was indeed a Pidgey. "Well... you asked me what I would do if I ended up getting a male Pokemon. I'll name them after nature elements that are not elements. This is Wind."

"This is fun."

"We should likely continue on our way to Vidirian. There is a lot to do there and show you. Catching Pokemon isn't the only thing."

"Ah... yes. I am quite beholden to you."

"No need. Honestly." The two began to walk down the path again and they came to a pond where Ashley stopped short.

"What is that person doing?"

"That person?" Gary stopped short noticing someone on a wooden area that went over the water. "They're fishing."

"So they're looking for Pokemon in the water?"

"Yes. But it takes a lot of time to do so. They're either a high ranking trainer or they specialize in Water types."

"Specialize..."

"Yes. It is possible for someone to specialize in a particular type." Gary sighed. "You don't know what the types are, but each type has types that they are strong against and those they are weak against. I don't suggest specializing in a type because the weaknesses tend to be the same and someone can come and wipe your team with one Pokemon of a type you're weak against."

"I see." Ashley pointed at an item near the person. "What is that thing?"

"That? That is a bicycle. That person likely travels using their bike."

"Can we go and speak to that person before we head to Vididian?" Ashley asked. "I would like to know more about what they are doing. Like whether they are a really good trainer or if they happened to specialize in a type. Plus, one of the things I want to do on this journey is meet new people."


	3. First New Friend

**Ashley Ketchem II: Viridian Skys **_**First New Friend**_

"Plus, one of the things I want to do on this journey is meet new people."

"I can't argue against that." Gary put his Pokemon back into his Pokeballs and placed his hands into his pockets. With Ashley he began to walk towards the person on the wooden deck as they fished. The person wore a plaid shirt with long sleeves along with pants. Their hair was short and bright orange. The person looked up at the two, frowning as they did so.

"What are you doing?"

Gary opened his mouth to say something, but wasn't sure what to say as the person in question seemed as if they were not pleased with being interrupted. Ashley though spoke up, her fists clenched from excitement. "I was wondering what you were doing. Actually, I was wondering how you were doing it and I was wondering what kind of trainer you are."

The person stared at the two for a few minutes before looking away. "You're supposed to introduce yourself using your name first and then you ask those questions."

Ashley made a quick bow to the person. "I apologize. I honestly didn't know any better. My name is Ashley."

"Her name is Ashley Ketchem and mine's Gary Oak. She honestly doesn't know better and hasn't had much interaction with people. She really is though curious about what you're doing."

The person remained silent and spun the gears on her rod and then set it down. They then turned to the two people. "You can call me Mitch."

"Mitch..." Ashley suddenly reached out her hands and the Mitch person took it and shook their hand. "It is nice to meet you.

"You know... not everyone is going to be a nice person to meet. You really should be wary about that you know." They let go then. "I'm a trainer that specializes in water type Pokemon. I am trying to catch something new to add to my team right now." The person pointed at the rod. "This is used for catching them and the thing at the end of the string is a bob and the other part is the hook to catch the Pokemon. You toss it in. If you don't mind I'll get back to what I'm doing."

The Mitch person reached for the poll and flicked it towards the pond. Silence remained while Ashley knelt down to watch. Letting out a deep sigh Gary tapped on her shoulder. "We really need to be going Ashley."

The girl let out a sigh and they headed down the road. Ashley smiled and clasped her hands in front of her as they walked. "Its is rather nice out. I think I'll let Sprite walk with me."

To Gary's surprise the girl popped the Eevee out of the Pokeball and it began to walk along side of her as well as bounce back and forth across the path. They finally arrived at a point where they could see Viridian. "It is as big as last time and so amazing that it is so big! I guess we go and show my grandmother my Pokemon now?"

"No... we should first visit the Pokemon Center first."

"What is a Pokemon Center?"

"It is a place you go to heal your Pokemon up for free. You can heal up Sprite, Mouse and Feather while I heal up Anemone, Violet and Wind. We can also get a place for us to stay tonight. We then can go and see your grandmother after we get the Pokemon back. We also need to stop at the place we call a Pokemart to stalk up with supplies with our allowance."

Ashley then followed him and they arrived at the Pokecenter and they handed they're Pokemon over so that the nurse could in fact heal their Pokemon. They found themselves with a room that Ashley felt was very nice and they went and got their Pokemon back. Ashley again Followed Gary over to the hospital where her grandmother was staying and they were admitted to see the old woman.

They headed up to her room and sat in the chairs while the old woman glared at them. "Why are you traveling with a boy Ashley?"

"Would you rather she travel on her own mam?" Gary frowned at the woman, wondering why she was such a pain to deal with.

Instead of commenting on what he said the woman asked to see Ashley's Pokemon. The girl showed her the Eevee, Rattata and Pidgey and the woman continued to frown. "The only good one there is the Eevee."

"I think they're all good ones."

"Eevee is the only one good for a Shrine Maiden. There are very many good Pokemon out there, but only a few that are actually good for Shrine Maidens."

"If I have to throw away Mouse and Feather then perhaps it is best that I'm not a Shrine Maiden. I think a Shrine Maiden should be open to any Pokemon that comes their way."

"As if you would know what you're talking about."

Gary and Ashley left then, the girl taking a good look at the ground. "I honestly don't understand why she treats me like she does."

"I think she's jealous. I guess there is no other way to put it, but I honestly don't think that is it either because I can't see why an adult would be jealous."

"I think you said the next thing we need to go and do is see too getting things at the Pokemon Center."

"Yes. I suggest buying Pokeballs as it is possible to heal up at Pokemon Centers and Daisy put plenty of Potions into our bags."

"How many Pokeballs can we get?"

"It is two hundred for each Pokeball, so we can each get fifteen. Since we have only used two of out Pokeballs that leaves us with nineteen Pokemon and the chance to catch more as we go along. We also need to battle Pokemon not just to capture them but to help train our Pokemon."

"I believe that I follow." The two headed in to the Pokemart, bumping into a boy on the way out. Gary glared after the boy. "Do you know him?"

"Yes... that's Daniel. He's one of the other trainers that started at the same time as us. The other is Patrick. Be forewarned that they don't have good attitudes and I won't be surprised if they drop out. Actually... I hope they drop out. I really can't... do you remember how we had the discussion about how there are bad trainers. There are those who would use their Pokemon to attack others and then there are those who wouldn't know when to give in. They're both like that, I just haven't figured out which is which."

"How do you know they are like that?"

"They're... let's just say they've always gone around bullying others. I'm actually surprised that they aren't traveling together. Let us buy our supplies."


End file.
